Having houseguests over can be a lot of fun. It's a great opportunity to spend time with friends and family that you may not see often. However, it can also be a lot of work to prepare for them. It can interfere with your daily routine, and even your roommates routine, throwing it off balance. Especially if you're in college -- even if it's summer vacation -- it can feel like a big hassle to have people stay with you.
But it doesn't have to. You may be a part of the majority of people who feel the need to clean your house from top to bottom before inviting guests to spend the night, but you don't have to let your guests completely rearrange your schedule. Setting some clear expectations with yourself and your guests in advance can work wonders in preserving your consistent regimen.
1. Start Cleaning Sooner
If you know people will be staying over, start cleaning in advance. It's natural to want to put your best foot forward, but a deep clean can be very time-consuming. Cleaning each and every room can quickly add up, so it's a good idea to take this task in baby steps. Set yourself a checklist of all the things that need to be done. Then, you can clean a little bit every day to make the chores seem significantly less daunting. If you and your roommates are hosting a guest, split up the chores amongst yourselves to lighten the load.
2. Be Clear About the Length of the Stay
No matter how much you love whoever is coming to see you, it's understandable to get tired of them. Spending an extended period of time with the same person can be exhausting. Make sure you know how long your guests are planning to stay so that you're on the same page. It's also important to note that it's completely okay to tell your guests they can't stay as long as they intend to. Any good guest wouldn't want to overstay their welcome, so be sure to communicate your limits and expectations. Additionally, it's important to consider your roommates time and space. If you are itching for guests to leave, your roommates are probably 10 steps ahead of you.
3. Keep Your Routine Going
On top of not overstaying their welcome, any good guest wouldn't want you to significantly change your routine for them. Try to make an effort to spend your free time with them, but there's no need to pause your life entirely. Going to work as normal will allow giving your guests the freedom to explore what they want to through the day. It will also make putting up with an extended stay a little less painful if you don't have to spend every waking moment with them.
4. Don't Be Afraid to Order Takeout
Cooking dinner for extra people can be stressful, especially when you don't know their food preferences. Make your life a little easier by putting this work on the professionals and order out. However, budget tends to be a concern for a lot of students so consider preparing crowd-pleasing meals ahead of time. You've already cleaned your space for your guests, there's no need to make things even more complicated.
Being a host is not easy (especially during college), but with these tips, you'll be able to enjoy your guests company for the duration of their stay!
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